Small Hydro-power Station Thame - Namche Bazar/Sagarmatha National Park

Only 15% of Nepalese households have access to electricity. Hence, Austria financed the construction of a hydro-power plant in Thame - Namche Bazar in the Mt. Everest region, located at an elevation of 3800 m.

The plant has a capacity of 600 kW and supplies eleven villages and one monastery with electric power. The growing numbers of tourist passing through the area had caused an increase in the demand for fuelwood, leading to alarming deforestation in the Thame valley.

Cooking with electricity has reduced firewood consumption by one third, thus preserving the mountain forests.

At the same time, the steady supply of electricity encouraged the growth of small enterprises and promoted an ecologically-balanced tourism.

In 1993, Eco Himal took over full responsibility for the technical and financial management of the project, including the training of a local Sherpa team.

The ownership structure gives the locals decision-making powers: 85% of the shares belong to the local user groups and only 15% to the state-owned electric utility.

A socially graded tariff system ensures that even the poorest farmers in the region can afford electricity.

In May 1994, the "Khumbu Bijuli Company" (KBC) was formed and registered. KBC is managed by elected representatives of the local user groups; since 1999 it has been fully responsible for the operation and management of the power plant. The cleaning of the pen-stock pipe at the end of 2000 marked Eco Himal's completion of the project.

Other activities such as the Thame Valley village development project and the drinking water and sewage system in Namche Bazar complement Eco Himal's regional development approach in the Sagarmatha National Park.